Snowstorm leads to extreme cold, closed schools, businesses, travel dangers in NC | Live Updates

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Last updated: Wednesday, February 4, 2026 1:53AM GMT
Second round of winter weather in Central NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Another winter storm, known as a bomb cyclone, hit parts of Central North Carolina for the second consecutive weekend.

Several weather alerts were issued for the ABC11 viewing area, including a winter storm warning and extreme cold warning. Heavy snow fell across the Triangle and much of North Carolina.

The National Weather Service office in Raleigh warned that wind chills will drop early Monday to near zero Fahrenheit (-17 Celsius). "Snow and ice will linger, with refreezing tonight making travel hazardous," the office said Sunday on social media. "Use caution on roads and dress in warm layers."

In eastern North Carolina, James City recorded 18 inches of snow, while Swansboro recorded 17 inches, the weather service reported.

The bomb cyclone, known to meteorologists as an intense, rapidly strengthening weather system, contributed to nearly a foot of snow in and around Charlotte. The snowfall represented a top-five snow event all-time there, the NWS said.

Flight cancellations exceeded 2,800 in the U.S. on Saturday, with at least another 1,800 on Sunday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking and data company. More than 800 of those Sunday cancellations were for flights departing from or arriving at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The storm caused an hours-long mess on Interstate 85 northeast of the city, after a crash left dozens of semitractors and other vehicles backed up into Saturday evening, according to the State Highway Patrol. More than 1,000 traffic collisions and two road deaths were reported, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said Sunday.

Last week's storm blanketed the area with ice and kept schools closed for most of the week. However, most schools had remote learning days. Business owners said they were hurt by the storm because they had to close early or couldn't open at all.

The Associated Press contributed

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Feb 01, 2026, 11:45 PM GMT

Orange County Schools closed; remote learning for CHCCS

Orange County Schools will be closed for students on Monday, the district said late Sunday afternoon.

All OCS schools and facilities will be closed. All athletic and after-school activities are also canceled.

There is no remote instruction for students on Monday.

OCS Transportation and Operations teams will continue to check area roads and prepare all the campuses to help schools reopen when deemed safe.

A decision for Tuesday will be announced as early as possible on Monday.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

CHCCS will have a remote learning day on Monday.

Schools and offices will be closed to staffers and students.

So why not a true "snow day" instead of remote learning?

"We thought a lot about that," a district spokesperson wrote. "We do want kids to be kids and enjoy the "snow days" that a lot of adults experienced (or at least heard about!) growing up. But for this decision, we felt Saturday and Sunday were our region's "snow days", and that the best decision is to have a remote learning day. This way, we're not yet having to make disruptive changes to the school calendar later this year."

Since Monday is a remote-learning day, there will not need to be a makeup day.

No decision has been made about Tuesday.

See a full listing of closings and delays here.

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Feb 01, 2026, 10:03 PM GMT

Durham Public Schools closed on Monday

Durham Public Schools will be closed on Monday for students and staff, the district announced Sunday afternoon.

All DPS facilities will be closed. All activities and events are canceled.

Essential personnel should report to work as directed by their supervisors.

"Thank you for your understanding as we prioritize the safety of everyone in our community," DPS said.

See a full list of closings and delays here.

Stay on top of breaking news and weather with the ABC11 News App

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Feb 01, 2026, 9:18 PM GMT

City of Durham closing most services on Monday

All Durham County Government non-essential operations and offices will be closed Monday.

The Board of County Commissioners' Work Session will be held virtually.

The three Durham County Solid Waste and Recycling Convenience Sites will be closed.

Monday's collection route for unincorporated Durham County residents has been canceled and rescheduled to Wednesday, assuming roads are cleared and safe.

The Durham County Department of Public Health will be closed. If you have a public health emergency during that time, please call 911 and ask for the Durham County Department of Public Health's response team member on-call.

For more information regarding COVID-19 and flu vaccinations, or general information about services provided by the DCoDPH, call (919) 560-7600.

The Durham County Department of Social Services (DSS) will be closed. Residents are asked to call (919) 560-4600 to reach an on-call social worker to report child abuse or neglect. Residents should call (984) 243-1280 to report adult abuse and neglect,

All Durham County libraries will be closed Monday.

All Durham County Courthouse operations are suspended on Monday.

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Feb 01, 2026, 8:44 PM GMT

All Wake County schools to be closed Monday for students

The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) announced that all its schools will be closed for students on Monday.

It will be a teacher workday for staffers.

Athletics and other extracurricular activities are also canceled.

All calendars will make up the school day on Monday, Feb. 16, except for:

  • Wake STEM: Tuesday, Feb. 17
  • Year-round, Track 3: Track 3 is not in session this week, so no makeup day is required.

Monday's missed school day will be made up with an in-person day rather than a remote instruction day, to preserve one in-person instructional day for students and staff.

See a full list of closings and delays here.